A Royal Navy unit of coast guards provided assistance to 141 would-be migrants in difficulty on Sunday in waters 274 km southwest of Dakhla, after receiving information from the National Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center.
The sub-Saharan individuals, including eight women and one baby, were heading towards the Canary Islands, on a voyage to what they hoped would be a better life, when nature dealt them a nearly fatal blow, according to a press release from the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces.
The migrants had sailed from the Mauritanian coast on February 10, intending to reach Europe.
Hampered by unfavorable weather and rough sea, the rescue operation lasted fifteen hours.
The patrol provided essential assistance to those in need, addressing the safety and well-being of everybody onboard, according to the release, and they were subsequently handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie for routine processing.
In 2023, the Royal Armed Forces and law enforcement intercepted about 87,000 illegal immigrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, with over 22,000 receiving medical treatment. Most were found in dire conditions on makeshift boats often carrying mothers and children.